Elevating My Design Journey: From Portfolio Polishing to Canva Mastery

 

Individual Learning Experience

Polishing My Professional Portfolio


This week has been all about refining and elevating my professional presence, with a significant focus on revamping my instructional design portfolio. I dedicated many hours to giving it a fresh, polished look by reorganizing the fonts for consistency, adding professional photos of myself, and incorporating a new footnotes section that mirrors high-quality, professional websites.

Each element, from the headers to the background visuals, was meticulously chosen to ensure a cohesive and inviting user experience. My goal was not only to enhance the aesthetic appeal but also to align with what hiring managers and companies seek in potential candidates. This extensive work has reinforced my attention to detail, an essential quality in instructional design, and fueled my excitement for the field. 

Key Insights from This Week’s Readings



A central theme that resonated with me was the situated nature of cognition—an essential reminder that knowledge transfer from one context to another isn’t always seamless. Effective instructional design must incorporate diverse practice contexts to foster successful knowledge transfer. This concept pushed me to reflect on my projects and the breadth of applicability they provide to learners.

Another significant takeaway was the power and cost of social learning. Integrating social learning can amplify educational outcomes, especially through activities like collaborative projects and group discussions. However, it’s crucial to deploy it judiciously. For example, group work is most effective when tackling tasks that are ambiguous or require creative problem-solving. This insight reaffirmed the importance of using social learning strategically in my projects, ensuring its inclusion when the learning context truly benefits from shared understanding and negotiation.

Moreover, the concept of surprise and failure stood out as valuable in learning. Effective learning environments need to challenge expectations, making failure an anticipated and safe part of the process. This element is something I plan to incorporate into future eLearning projects, embedding scenarios that push learners to adapt and grow from unexpected outcomes.

Technology Exploration: Expanding My Toolkit




LinkedIn Learning Courses and Adobe Cloud Mastery

This week, I expanded my learning horizon by exploring LinkedIn Learning courses related to Adobe Cloud, Brightspace, and Canvas. Diving into these courses will help me grow my confidence with the tools and build a stronger foundation for future projects. Adobe Creative Cloud courses, in particular, will provide me with new tips and tricks for photo editing and design elements that I can apply while working on my portfolio.

Canvas Projects and Customization




Canva has been a central tool in my week’s work. I devoted a substantial amount of time creating visually engaging content, paying close attention to details like color coordination and overall layout. I find joy in crafting my own color schemes, bringing a unique touch to templates and enhancing the user experience. This exercise not only improved my speed but also sharpened my skills in creating compelling digital learning environments.

My goal for this course remains clear: to upload my Mental Health eLearning Course onto an LMS platform. This project is a testament to my dedication to both instructional design and supporting learners in meaningful ways. The prospect of seeing this course hosted online motivates me and aligns with my broader aspirations in the field.


Collaborations and Team Efforts


Finally, collaboration played a role this week as I connected with my team to discuss our strategic plan. We plan to meet on Monday to further discuss our project.

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